Breaking:Eric Cantor succumbs to tea party challenger Tuesday 10 Jan 2014 In a stunning upset propelled by tea party activists, House Majority Leader Eric Cantor (R-Va.) was defeated in Tuesday's congressional primary, with insurgent David Brat delivering an unpredicted and devastating loss to the second most powerful Republican in the House who has widely been touted as a future speaker. The race called shortly after 8 p.m. Eastern by the Associated Press.

War Gear Flows to Police Departments That Already Look and Act Like Military Units 08 Jun 2014 As President Obama ushers in the end of what he called America's "long season of war," the former tools of combat - M-16 rifles, grenade launchers, silencers and more - are ending up in local police departments, often with little public notice. During the Obama administration, according to Pentagon data, police departments have received tens of thousands of machine guns; nearly 200,000 ammunition magazines; thousands of pieces of camouflage and night-vision equipment; and hundreds of silencers, armored cars and aircraft. The equipment has been added to the armories of police departments that already look and act like military units. Police SWAT teams are now deployed tens of thousands of times each year, increasingly for routine jobs.

Mission accomplished! Insurgents seize Iraq's 2nd-largest city 10 Jun 2014 In a stunning assault that exposed Iraq's eroding central authority, al-Qaida[al-CIAduh]-inspired militants overran much of Mosul on Tuesday, seizing government buildings, pushing out security forces and capturing military vehicles as thousands of residents fled the second-largest city. The rampage by the black banner-waving insurgents was a heavy defeat for Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki as he tries to hold onto power, and highlighted the growing strength of the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant.

Russia launches Baltic drills alongside NATO Saber Strike war games 10 Jun 2014 The Baltic Sea and skies are getting crowded as Russia launches military training of its assault forces in the exclave of Kaliningrad in answer to the double war-games being conducted by joint NATO forces on the territory of the three Baltic States. NATO's decision to conduct dual war games next to Russian borders in the Baltic has not been left unaddressed by Russia's Defense Ministry, which prepared a surprise training of first strike forces - marines, paratroopers and long-range bombers - right in the backyard of the NATO military maneuvers. "We conduct military training simultaneously with the international war games that have started in Europe, Saber Strike-2014 and BALTOPS-2014," said the ministry's press service.

Tanks, troops, jets: NATO countries launch full-scale war games in Baltic 09 Jun 2014 A major military exercise kicked off in Latvia, with 10 NATO member countries participating. The war games involve 4,700 troops and 800 military vehicles. Russia sees NATO's military build-up as a sign of aggression. The Saber Strike ground forces exercise is being conducted for the fourth time this year and coincides with Baltic Host 2014 and Baltops 2014 naval drills. Troops from the US, Canada, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Norway and the UK are taking part.

U.S. Air Force sends two B-2 stealth bombers to Europe as show of force to Russia 09 Jun 2014 The U.S. Air Force has further beefed up its bomber presence in Europe, deploying two B-2 stealth bombers for military exercises in the region, according to Air Force Times. The aircraft are assigned to the 509th Bomb Wing out of Whiteman Air Force Base, Missouri. On Sunday, they joined three B-52 Stratofortress aircraft already deployed to RAF Fairford, a British air base west of London.

Five U.S. special operations soldiers killed by friendly fire in Afghanistan after air support accidentally drops bombs on them --Strategic B-1 bomber reportedly dropped its payload on soldiers --Fox News: Aircraft in question is a B-1 Lancer, a strategic Cold War-era bomber that can carry a payload of up to 125,000 pounds of explosives. 10 Jun 2014 Five American special operations troops have been killed in southern Afghanistan after a U.S. bomber accidentally bombed their positions when they called in for air support on Monday night. One Afghan soldier was also killed in the incident - which is being called the deadliest friendly-fire attack of the 13-year war in Afghanistan. The soldiers were leading a security operation with Afghan National Army troops in southern Zabul Province when they came under attack from Taliban fighters and called in for an airstrike. However, instead of bombing the insurgents, the NATO aircraft dropped its payload on the Americans, authorities believe.

Japan underreports 80 nuclear bombs worth of plutonium to IAEA[Can you imagine the uproar if *Syria* did this?] 08 Jun 2014 Japan has failed to mention having about 640 kg (1,411 lbs) of unused plutonium in reports it submitted to the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) in 2012 and 2013. The unreported amount is enough to make about 80 nuclear bombs. The missing 640 kilograms Japan kept as Mixed oxide (MOX) fuel, a plutonium-uranium mixture that could be burned in a reactor. It was found in an offline reactor in a nuclear plant in Saga Prefecture in the southern Japanese town of Genkai. The MOX fuel was loaded into the No. 3 reactor of Kyushu Electric Power Co.'s Genkai nuclear plant in March 2011 during its regular checkup, shortly before the Fukushima Nuclear disaster happened later that month.

U.S. Government Ties El Salvador Aid Package to Monsanto's GMO Seeds 08 Jun 2014 The President of the El Salvadoran Center for Appropriate Technologies (CESTA), Ricardo Navarro, has demanded that the U.S. Ambassador to El Salvador, Mari Carmen Aponte, stops pressurizing the Government of El Salvador to buy Monsanto's [deadly] GM seeds rather than non-GMO seeds from domestic suppliers. "I would like to tell the U.S. Ambassador to stop pressuring the Government (of El Salvador) to buy 'improved' GM seeds," said Navarro, which is only of benefit to U.S. multinationals and is to the detriment of local seed production, Verdad Digital reported last week. In recent weeks, the U.S. has been pushing the El Salvadoran Government to sign the second Millennium Challenge Compact. One of the main conditions on the agreement is allegedly for the purchasing of GM seeds from Monsanto.

Florida man guilty in alleged Tampa attack plot after buying weapons from undercover FBI agent 10 Jun 2014 A Florida man who bought weapons from an undercover FBI agent and planned to blow up popular Tampa entertainment areas was found guilty on Tuesday and faces life in prison. A jury found Sami Osmakac, 27, guilty of attempting to use weapons of mass destruction and possessing an unregistered automatic firearm. Sentencing is scheduled for Oct. 7. "The jury's verdict in this case represents another victory in our fight against terrorism," U.S. Attorney A. Lee Bentley said in a press release.

Oregon high school shooting: 'This is not a drill' ['Drill gone live'] --One student and the suspected gunman are dead; a teacher suffered non-life-threatening injuries. 10 Jun 2014 When the shooting started at her high school near Portland, Oregon, early Tuesday, student Jaimie Infante didn't recognize the sound of the gunshot... In reality, a lone gunman [despite the myriad accounts from *numerous students* asserting that there were two shooters, once again the story morphs into the 'lone gunman' scenario] had opened fire at the school, killing one student and forcing others to flee. An assistant principal told students to go into lockdown mode. "At the end he said: 'This is not a drill,'" Infante told CNN.

Shooter at Oregon high school is dead: police 10 Jun 2014 A person suspected of opening fire at an Oregon high school was dead on Tuesday after the school was placed on lockdown and students were evacuated following reports of gunfire, law enforcement officials said. Gunfire had been reported at Reynolds High School in Troutdale, north of Portland, a police official for the city said. "All I know is there is a shooting at the high school," the official said. The Multnomah County Sheriff's Department said in a Twitter message that the shooter was dead and that the situation had been stabilized, but it gave no further details.

Gunman, student dead after shooting at Oregon high school, authorities say 10 Jun 2014 Authorities in Oregon say a gunman entered a high school outside of Portland Tuesday morning and fatally shot a student before he was killed himself. The Multnomah County Sheriff's Office said in a statement that the situation is stabilized at Reynolds High School in Troutdale. Scott Anderson, the chief of the Troutdale Police Department, confirmed the deaths...Authorities did not say how the shooter died.

Tepco Hires U.S. Company to Filter Radioactive Water Stored at Fukushima 09 Jun 2014 Tokyo Electric Power Co. will deploy a second system to strip a dangerous [radioactive] isotope from water stored at its wrecked Fukushima nuclear facility, as it struggles to overcome problems with its existing water processor. The utility known as Tepco has signed a contract with Kurion Inc. to remove strontium from about 400,000 metric tons of radioactive water stored at Fukushima using truck-mounted filters, the Irvine, California-based company said in a statement today...The system is designed to remove strontium, linked to bone cancer, and 61 other isotopes from water contaminated by contact with highly radioactive reactor fuel.

NC, VA sign deal with Duke Energy for Dan River cleanup 09 Jun 2014 Environmental and wildlife officials in North Carolina and Virginia have signed an agreement with Duke Energy for the cleanup of toxic coal ash from the Dan River, which flows through the two states. The agreement signed Monday requires Duke to pay any cost associated with the Feb. 2 spill at its power plant near Eden, which coated 70 miles of the river in gray sludge. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is also a party to the deal.

Quick action: Stop the Northern Gateway Pipeline 09 Jun 2014 (NRDC) Canada's federal government is about to decide whether or not to approve the Northern Gateway tar sands pipeline, which threatens to destroy the coastal rainforest home of the Spirit Bear and First Nations communities that have thrived there for thousands of years. Tell British Columbia Premier Christy Clark to reject the pipeline and save the spectacular Spirit Bear Coast!

BP Troll Jindal Signs Bill Blocking Lawsuits Against Oil and Gas Companies 06 Jun 2014 Rejecting the advice of his own attorney general and dozens of legal scholars, Louisiana governor and potential presidential contender Bobby Jindal (R-Obviously) effectively blocked a New Orleans-area levee board from suing oil and gas companies for allegedly destroying the state's coasts – and in so doing, may have also derailed state and local claims against BP for damages and tax revenue lost following the 2010 Deepwater Horizon oil spill. Don Briggs, president of the Louisiana Oil & Gas Association, was also quoted in the statement distributed by the governor's office, hailing the measure as a "huge victory for the oil and gas industry." The law, SB 469, essentially bars a levee district in New Orleans' East Bank – the Southeast Louisiana Flood Protection Authority-East, or SLFPA-E – from pressing forward in its lawsuit against 97 oil and gas companies.

Audit shows 100,000 U.S. veterans face long waits for healthcare 09 Jun 2014 More than 100,000 veterans are experiencing waits of more than 90 days for appointments at medical centers run by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, according to an internal audit released by the troubled agency on Monday. The survey revealed that a scandal over cover-ups of long wait times at VA clinics, during which some veterans are alleged to have died, was broader and deeper than initially thought...The agency said staff at 76 percent of facilities surveyed reported that they were instructed to misrepresent appointment data at least once.

GOP has taken control of Va. Senate, forced Democrats to cave over Medicaid impasse 09 Jun 2014 Virginia Republicans snatched control of the state Senate on Monday, immediately ended a budget stalemate by forcing Democrats to agree to pass a spending plan without Medicaid expansion -- and saddled Gov. Terry McAuliffe with a General Assembly fully in the hands of a party fiercely opposed to his agenda. The power shift forced [sic] Senate Democrats to cave in a protracted budget-and-Medicaid battle that had threatened to shut down state government in less than a month. DemocRATic budget negotiators sycophants emerged from a closed-door meeting Monday saying they had agreed pass a budget without expanding health coverage to 400,000 low-income Virginians -- McAuliffe's top priority. [Democrats weren't 'forced' to cave - they just do, because they're *spineless.*]

Va. lawmaker to resign, paving way for jobs for self, daughter, according to associates 08 Jun 2014 Republicans appear to have outmaneuvered Gov. Terry McAuliffe in a state budget standoff by persuading a Democratic senator to resign his seat, at least temporarily giving the GOP control of the chamber and possibly dooming the governor's push to expand Medicaid under the Affordable Care Act. Sen. Phillip P. Puckett (D-Russell) will announce his resignation Monday, effective immediately, paving the way to appoint his daughter to a judgeship and Puckett to the job of deputy director of the state tobacco commission, three people familiar with the plan said Sunday. The news prompted outrage among Democrats - and accusations that Republicans were trying to buy the Senate with job offers in order to thwart McAuliffe's proposal to expand health coverage to 400,000 low-income Virginians. Del. Scott A. Surovell (D-Fairfax) said Republicans were unable to win the policy argument about Medicaid expansion, so they have resorted to other means [aka bribery].

Chris Christie's record on civil liberties blasted in ACLU report card 09 Jun 2014 Gov. Chris Christie deserves only a D+ grade for the way his administration has handled citizens' rights during his first term, according to a report card released today by the New Jersey chapter of the American Civil Liberties Union. The report, which grades Christie in 12 categories, slams the Republican governor for his record... It also accuses Christie - a potential 2016 presidential candidate - of frequently making sweeping statements in support of civil liberties but rarely following through.

Orphaned baby rhino snuggles up to keepers and won't sleep alone after witnessing his mother's brutal killing --At the current rate of killing, it's predicted the species could be extinct in the wild by 2026. 09 Jun 2014 Poignant new footage captures an orphaned baby rhinoceros seeking solace from its keeper. Four-month-old Gertjie is seen nuzzling a female member of staff from the Hoedspruit Endangered Species Centre in South Africa with his nose. In a bid to get closer to her, the thick-skinned creature rolls down on to the floor and affectionately lays his head on her lap...The adult rhino had been brutally murdered by poachers for her horn. Staff at the Hoedspruit Endangered Species Centre said it was a devastating sight finding Gertjie as the tiny animal wouldn't leave his mother's side and was 'crying inconsolably' for her. [Heroes need to *open fire* on poachers and hunters - it's the only way to stop the terrorists.]